Portable lamp holder with adjustable reflector



y 1952 R. H. ENGELHARDT ET AL 2,602,880

PORTABLE LAMP HOLDER WITH ADJUSTABLE REFLECTOR Filed v March 24 1950 INVENTORS DAVID ,A. D. SVMITH & ROBERT H. ENGELHARD'I BY 7724mm Madam ATTORNEYS Patented July 8, 1952 Penman LAMP HOLDER WITH ADJUSTABLE REFLECTOR Robert unn eumat, Indianapolis, and David A. D. Smith, Bridgeport, Ind. I

Application March 24, 1950, SerialNo. 151,762

3 Claims.

This invention relates to. electrical fighting equipment, and more particularly to portable lamps of the bulb'in-socket and holder class.

A particular form of portable electric lamp used considerably at the present time for duties requiring the inspection of places relatively hard to get at or not served by stationary light distribution in its vicinity consists of a hand size holder having a light socket incorporated in its structure and with a wire guard bulb protector attached. This type is limited in certain phases of its use by the lack of its capacity ;to.lie on the ground without rolling or increasing the danger of causing a fire, or to position the bulb so that its light can be conveniently stabilized and directed or'reflected to the locations or articles it is being used with at the moment. This invention anticipates and overcomes these difliculties by incorporating a special bracket into the holder of such a portable lamp so that the light from the bulb can be adjusted to reflect through a great variety of angles and directions, and includes a structure that permits the lamp to be placed on the ground or other surface with safety and freedom from rolling or damage. It is also arranged with means providing for its facile movement over the surfaces it is placed on without disturbing the relative position of the unit. For this purpose its construction includes a bracket in quasi-triangular form with a reflector. at-

tached, overlying the bulb and capable of being tilted through an arc of about 130 about the latter.

It is an object of this invention to provide a new and improved portable lamp unit that will avoid one or more of the disadvantages and limitations in the present art to which it belongs.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved portable lamp unit that can be used safely on the groundor other horizontal surface and held positively stabilized thereon.

A further object of the invention is to provide a new and improved portable lamp unit that will have a reflector incorporated in its structure that will provide flexibility in the distribution of the rays of light from its bulb. I

Still another object ofthe invention is to provide a new and improved portable lamp unit that will have a structure permitting it tobe placed or used in unusual ways not anticipated in other types of portable lamp units, as well as provide a support for a bulb guard that will not be supported by the bulb socket in the unit.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent as the invention is more fully set forth.

For a-better understanding of the inven i n. and its objects, attention is called to the drawings accompanying this description, since they illustrate a particular form by way of example, and enable the features of the. invention to be app ciated. The claims appended indicate the scope of the invention.

Referring to the drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portable lamp unit embodying this invention;

Figure 2 is a front view, partly in section, on the line 2-2 of Figure l;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary detail; of one of the grommets used in this embodiment; and

Figure 4 is a, perspective view of the bracket and reflector used in the unit, with the lamp guard, bulb and holder removed.

Throughout the drawings, like reference numbers pertain to like parts.

Figure 1 illustrates a complete portable lamp unit without the bulb. It includes an elongated rubber or plastic holder I!) through which an electric conductor II is .drawn and coupled to an incandescent lamp socket l2 set in an enlarged cup-like or socket holding portion I3 with an orifice incorporated in theholder. This portion I3 is of a size adapted to vfit over and hold the socket I2, allowing, however, a portion of its shell to project beyond the front face of the bracket, so that a wire guard I5 can be mounted about it. This guard I5 is .of conventional form and includes a hook I6 for hanging the unit up on a nail or the like. The socket holding portion I3 is passed through a circular hole or aperture I! in a quasi-triangular bracket I3. It is suitably held in the bracket, although the resiliency of the rubber about the orifice portion will be sufiicient in most cases to provide the grip necessary to retain both the holder I0 and bracket I8 rigidly together. The bracket is relatively fiat and made from material of modest thickness. In width it is about three times the diameter of the portion I3 which is fitted into the hole or aperture l1 centered about the middle of the bracket. When the unit with the bracket and holder attached is laid on a horizontal surface, the angle of the holder, bracket and bulb axes is about 20. Clips I9 mountedon the bracket l8 adjacent the hole I! are included for the purpose of rigidly supporting the base ring [4 of the guard I5 and bracket together. The rear portion of the holder is termed the'han'dle 20 and has a bead 2i and the depressed band22, as indicated.

The bracket I8 is arranged to keep two of its corners 23. 24 on the ground or horizontal sur- 3 face while the third is above. The handle of the holder extends from the back of the bracket and forms a third leg, in conjunction with the other corners of the bracket, forming a stable structure.

The corners 23, 24 of the bracket have rollers 33 serving as feet fixedly secured to such corners, and these rollers are in a plane parallel to that of the faces of the bracket. At the upper corner 34 of the bracket a hole 25 is provided through which a stud 26 projects. This stud 26 with a fiat spring washer 3| engages with a. segmental lip 21 extending from an arcuate reflector 28 and enables the latter to be rotated thereon and take various concentric positions about the bulb and guard l5, so as to reflect the light in different directions or cover the light so that it will not be seen directly from certain points of view, particularly to shield the users eyes. Figure 2 indicates some of the possible positions of the reflector 28 to be attained through the use of this stud. Of course, the unit may be rested on the back of the reflector 28 also when the direction of illumination is upwards. In practice, it is preferred for the user to grasp the handle of the lamp unit, place it near the work area, and then adjust the shade or reflector to shield himself from the light.

Some of the additional features of the unit are that it keeps the bulb away'from'the adjacent surface that supports the unit, so that the bulb cannot cause it to scorch, burn or induce a fire. While the unit can be hung through the use of its hook, it can also be supported readily between the reflector and guard by a shelf, table or projecting plate that it is shoved onto. The lower edge 29 of the bracket is of concaved contour, so that the user can look through the space that it leaves when on the ground, as'well as affording a facility for inserting his fingersunderneath it for manipulating the 'unit. The unit will not roll over when the rollers are positioned as indicated in Figure 2, and if the rollers are of insulating material, the whole unit will be non-shocking. This insulating feature can be increased by making the whole bracket of insulating material, a feature of considerable importance in the use of portable lamps, where shocks are apt to be developed frequently at the most inconvenient times and places when the conventional portable lamp is employed. The unit can be rested on the other sides of the bracket if required, and while the mobility of the unit will be lessened, the rolling over of the unit over the surfaces will be prevented and its stability retained.

Now, although this device has all these unusual features, it is not complicated in its structure. Further, the bracket and other components do not add appreciably to the weight or the cost of manufacturing. The assembly of these components is a matter that requires little skill, time or effort. The bracket l8, while it increases the avenues of use, does not increase the possibilities of damage, especially to the bulb attached thereto. The bulbs in the conventional portable lamp are a continual source for breakage and expense which this device eliminates. This is due to the fact that the wire guard is supported'by the clips IS on the bracket 18, instead of by the socket l2.

While but a single form of the invention is illustrated in this outline, it is riot intended that such specific construction will be the only form in which it may be made, as it is appreciated that other forms using the same principles could be developed and come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is:

1. In combination with a portable lamp holder with socket attached, a mounting unit for positioning the lamp holder on a horizontal supporting surface comprising a plate having a front face and back face and an edge adapted to be disposed in adjoining angular relation to a supporting surface, said plate having means formed therein for receiving said holder, which is disposed at right angles to the rear and front faces thereof, the

holder projecting outwardly from the rear face and the socket projecting outwardly from the front face, a reflector attached to the front face of said plate and projecting outwardly therefrom in a position overlying the socket, means mounting the reflector to the plate whereby said reflector is adjustable about an axis paralleling the axis of the socket and is positionable in selective positions relative to the socket and a lamp therein for directing light rays from the lamp into various directions of the axis of the socket, means carried by said edge of the plate for engaging the supporting surface in conjunction with the holder, which engages the supporting surface to form a rest portion for the plate, a guard for a lamp disposed in the socket, and means mounted on the front face of the plate for mounting the guard on the front face in a position parallel with and underlying the reflector.

2. In combination with a portable lamp holder with socket attached, a mounting unit for positioning the lamp holder on a horizontal supporting surface comprising a plate having a front face and back face and an edge adapted to be disposed in adjoining angular relation to a supporting surface, said plate having means formed therein for receiving said holder, which is disposed at right angles to the rear and front faces thereof, the holder projecting outwardly from the rear face and the socket projecting outwardly from the front face, a reflector attachedto the front face of said plate and projecting outwardly therefrom in a position overlying the socket, means mounting the reflector to the plate whereby said reflector is adjustable about an axis paralleling the axis of the socket and is positionable in selective positions relative to the socket and a lamp therein for directing light rays from the lamp into various directions of the axis of the socket, and means carried by said edge of the plate for engaging the supporting surface in conjunction with the holder, which engages the supporting surface to form a rest portion for the plate, said last means including projections formed on said edge and rollers journaled on the projections.

3. In combination with a portable lamp holder with socket attached, means for movably mounting the lamp holder on a horizontal supporting surface comprising a triangular plate having a front face and a rear face, said plate having a transverse opening therein extending through its faces for receiving the holder which is disposed at right angles to and extends from the rearv face of the plate, said socket projecting outwardly from the front face, a reflector pivotally attached to the front face of the plate, said reflector projecting outwardly therefrom in a position to overlie the socket and a lamp in said socket and being attached to the front face for movement about an axis paralleling the axis of the socket and for placement in selective positions relative to the socket, rollers carried by the corners of the major end of the plate and engageable with a support- UNITED STATES PATENTS ing surface, the holder engaging the supporting Number Name Date surface and forming a rest portion for the plate. 1336761 stolzenwald Ann 13, 1920" BERT H ENGELHARDT 1,692,892 Floyd NOV. 27, 19 8 R0 5 1,695,987 Steindorfi Dec. 1a, 1928 DAVID A. D. SMITH.

2,318,059 Cooper May 4, 1943 7 0 A .2, 4 REFERENCES 01mm 24 8 1 2 ug 19 9 The following references are of record in the FOREI N PATENTS 10 Number Country Date France Nov. 21, 1924 file of this patent: 

